FWS considers listing lesser prairie chicken as endangered species

The US Fish & Wildlife Service said it will consider listing the lesser prairie chicken, a bird whose habitat is in five US states with oil and gas production, as an endangered species.

FWS noted that state conservation agencies already are working to preserve the bird's grasslands and prairie habitat with the US Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Land Management, and other federal agencies; and the George Miksch Sutton Avian Research Center in Bartlesville, Okla., and other private partners on a conservation effort across Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico.

FWS Director Dan Ashe said the US Department of the Interior agency was encouraged by those efforts. "More work needs to be done to reverse [the bird's] decline," he said.

The Independent Petroleum Association of America immediately condemned the move. "The decision is the start of a slippery slope that sets a dangerous precedent for future energy production, economic growth, and working conservation efforts," it said.

Regional and state oil and gas associations also were critical. "Once again, the federal government has decided to reduce the land available for the production of food and energy for humans, because [FWS] estimates that the number of lesser prairie chickens is declining," Texas Alliance of Energy Producers Pres. Alex Mills told OGJ.

Kansas Independent Oil & Gas Association Pres. Ed Cross said, "We have been working with industry groups in other states and our own state's regulatory agencies to address the lesser prairie chicken habitat question in a constructive fashion."

FWS said it will accept public comments on the proposal for 90 days following its Nov. 30 listing in the Federal Register.